MyLife with Robert Theodorow

A great team is most important to this web developer.

NFIB Member: Robert Theodorow

Business: Stormfront Productions, Lafayette, Ind.

Employees: 14

What do you love the
most about running a small business?

Our team is fully
invested in the company, and that makes a huge difference. They’re not just a
bunch of names in a corporation. They’re friends. We share victories both
inside and outside of business hours.

What is the best
part of your day?

This isn’t
necessarily something that happens every day, but the best part of my week is
our internal meetings or workshops. We have a team that comes together, and we
educate one another on various topics in the industry to help stay ahead of the
curve. I think that’s really cool.

What has been your
biggest mistake, and how did you learn from it?

I was really
conservative about our growth early on and was reluctant to take the plunge and
start hiring employees. It was really a big step for me to start thinking about
payroll and health insurance. I think by doing that, I missed out on some
earlier opportunities that may have led to some quicker growth. The way that I
tried to overcome it was by thinking about each employee as an asset to the
company.

What is your
favorite thing to do on the clock?

We do something that
probably no other business does. For the last four or five years, we’ve turned
the first floor of our building into a haunted house. We get a lightning and
thunder simulator, props and fake walls. We have an event that’s tied in with
Greater Lafayette Commerce that’s called Operation Trick or Treat where 2,500
people or so go through our haunted house. Last year we raised money for
Riley’s Hospital for Children.

How do you define
success?

I define it by seeing our employees
succeed both within the company and beyond. Our team members really speak
highly about the experience they get with us. And if they do leave, they are
being recruited by some of the biggest and most successful companies in the
world.